U.S. and Israel Weigh Fresh Strikes on Iran Amid Midterm Election Tensions

U.S. and Israeli militaries have drafted short, intensive plans to strike Iran’s energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and missile and drone arsenals. Joint exercises have included fighter flights over Iraq, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel to discuss timing. U.S. officials say a detailed target list is ready for a post-midterm operation, with a possible launch after the November 3 election-related deadline. President Donald Trump told a Florida rally that “we may do another little Epic Fury,” and on October 16 confirmed Washington is weighing a strike on Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site if operations resume.

New York Times

The planning comes as the war entered its eighth month, driving global fuel prices higher and influencing the U.S. midterm race. Earlier strikes between February and April raised energy costs, stoked worldwide inflation, and strained the Pentagon’s missile-interceptor stockpile. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)) claimed simultaneous attacks on four commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and additional hits on ships that struck mines, though independent verification is lacking. Brent crude oil was trading at $113.4 a barrel, a recent high linked to reports of a renewed joint assault.

The Guardian

• Donald Trump (U.S. president) – “We may do another little Epic Fury.” “We may do another little Epic Fury,” — Donald Trump, US president

The Jerusalem Post

• Trump later said the United States is weighing a strike on the Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site (interview with Newsmax, October 16).

The Jerusalem Post

• Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, warned that a new war could see attacks on “cables, datacentres and artificial-intelligence facilities” and that Iran’s response would target both military and political assets.

The Guardian

• The IRGC announced it had struck commercial ships transferring oil in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Guardian

• Iranian negotiators offered to lift the Hormuz blockade within seven days if preconditions, including the release of frozen assets, are met.

The Guardian

• “We may do another little Epic Fury,” — Donald Trump, U.S. president

The Jerusalem Post

U.S. military buildup in the region is slated for completion by early November, with plans to station three aircraft carriers, thousands of Marines, fighter jets and special-operations forces. Iran’s threat to target regional oil facilities, undersea cables and AI centers remains contingent on any renewed attack. Diplomatic talks involving mediators from Iran and Pakistan continue, while foreign ministers from several European nations, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt are set to meet in Istanbul to coordinate policy on the intertwined Iranian, Yemeni and Palestinian crises.

The Guardian